Bridalveil Fall, Tioga Pass, & Ghost Town Bodie

Today our round trip continues through the Yosemite Valley with a stop at Tunnel View for Bridalveil Fall. This waterfall can be reached via a short walk along a beautiful river bed. Tree trunks lie across it, making it easy to balance over the river.

After that, we drive past the impressive El Capitan and the famous Yosemite Falls over the 3,031m high Tioga Pass towards Lee Vining. On the way to the pass, we will stop at the picturesque viewpoint Olmsted Point, which offers a view of the north side of Half Dome. On the granite slopes close to the parking lot, there are numerous glacial erratics, large rounded rocks that were transported by glaciers during the Ice Age.

We pass through Tioga Pass and then visit the beautifully preserved ghost town of Bodie, one of the most notorious gold rush settlements of the Wild West, which at its peak around 1880 housed an incredible 10,000 residents and boasted over 60 saloons. Today, the Bodie State Historic Park encompasses only 110 of the original 2,000 buildings, but these are in good condition and can be visited, including their interior. Because of this and its authentic setting nestled in a fitting landscape, Bodie is considered one of the most famous ghost towns in America. It is an exciting and fascinating journey back to the time of the California Gold Rush.

After that, we make our way to our next accommodation in Bishop, a charming typical American small town. On the way there, we pass by the South Tufas at Mono Lake as well as Mammoth Lakes, a ski resort on the edge of the Sierra Nevada with hotels boasting names like Alpenhof, Edelweiss, St. Moritz, and Austria Hof Lodge, all replicas of traditional alpine farms as known from Austria.

In the late afternoon, we arrive at the hotel. Fortunately, an evening cool-off in the pool is again on the agenda.